Archeologists: Stone Age women may have been big-game hunters

Based on a study carried out by archaeologists, the major role of women during the Stone Age in America may have been hunting. This has some scientists reconsidering the gender roles in prehistoric hunter-gatherer cultures.

During an excavation, experts found the remains of a young woman in Peru buried at a 9,000-year-old burial site. But the story does not end there. Buried with her corpse is what seems to be a full set of big-game hunting tools used for hunting enormous animals. Some of the tools recovered were spear points, scrapers, blades, and more.

At first, the team of scientists assumed the corpse was a male because of the weapons they have also retrieved. They thought he must have been a great hunter, chief, or warrior. But after examining the corpse at the laboratory, they confirmed that the individual was actually a woman.

According to previous records, 16 males and 11 females were buried alongside big-game hunting weapons out of 429 corpses that have been unearthed.

Scientists worry about continuous ice melting in Tibet

Tremendous fields of ice in the mountains close to Tibet keep on vanishing at a rate that causes worry among researchers. The disappearing glacial mass is the biggest in the Qilian Mountains.

Laohugou No. 12, the 20-square kilometer ice sheet, has diminished by around seven percent since estimations started. Scientists elaborate that the ice has become thinner as well. In fact, around 13 meters of ice has melted since temperatures began rising.

Since the 1950s, average temperatures within the range have risen by around 1.5 degrees Celsius. They add that it shows signs of continuous temperature increase. Scientists express concern about the 2,684 ice sheets within the Qilian Mountains.

It is forecasted that the phenomenon will climax for a decade. After that, the melting of now would strongly diminish since there would be less icy masses.

Higher than normal temperature is believed to be the cause of the recent unpredictable weather conditions.

Food production impacts climate change

Reducing the use of fossil fuels is pivotal in alleviating climate change. On the other hand, a new study reveals that the way food is produced around the world is also a major culprit behind higher temperatures on Earth.

The research concluded that if the current food production stays the same, almost 1.4 trillion metric tons of greenhouse gases will be generated in the next 80 years.

Deforestation, soil mismanagement, improper handling of food waste and fertilizers are just some of the causes of the said pollution. Researchers add that even if fuel emission will be discontinued, it would still not be possible to meet the targets set to combat climate change.

To improve the current situation, better farming practices, changes in diet, and wasting less food will be beneficial. The same study predicts that a shift to a plant-rich diet is likely to decrease greenhouse gases by 65 billion metric tons.

Experts: Dinosaurs grew at various paces

After studying the fossils of some dinosaurs, scientists explain that huge dinosaurs did not actually grow at the same pace. Some of these creatures took longer to grow in size but did so steadily. On the other hand, other kinds of dinosaurs had a growth spurt right before adulthood which caused them to increase in size in a short period of time. In comparison, children experience a growth spurt from age 12 to 18. The same thing happened to some dinosaurs.

How did the scientists go about the experiment? They studied fossils housed in museums from around the world. This includes Sue, one of the most well-known T. rex fossils which is displayed in a museum in Chicago. With the help of a machine, they cut through the remains of these early creatures and compared the annual growth rings of each bone. They later found out that this kind of dinosaur reached adulthood at the age of 20.

Wines travel back to Earth

Research materials, equipment, and 12 bottles of French wine landed off the coast of Florida by means of SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft. This exceptional wine, along with some grapevines, had orbited Earth for a year as part of a study.

This research aims at Agricultural science, but the experts share that tasting the said wine is something that they are also looking forward to. The out-of-this-world wine tasting will take place in Bordeaux, France, alongside a number of wine experts.

The researchers add that a series of chemical testing will be conducted subsequently. The sedimentation and bubbles of the said wine will be observed. The ultimate goal of the research is to have a good understanding of a futuristic agriculture that is organic, healthy, and capable of feeding humanity. They believe space will give them the answers.

As of this writing, the only spacecraft that is able to return items successfully to Earth is SpaceX’s Dragon. Other spacecraft end up in flames on their way back to Earth.

Study: We Learn Language in Pre-Human Area of Brain

A new study could benefit people learning a new language. Michael Ullman, the lead writer and a professor at Georgetown University Medical School in Washington, D.C., has been researching language learning for more than 20 years. According to Ullman’s findings, the human brain lacks a special area or system for generating language. He claims that we have simply reused parts of our brain for language over time. And those parts, he claims, are ancient – possibly even older than humans. These mechanisms exist in non-human animals as well, according to one of the study’s co-authors. Phillip Hamrick is an assistant professor at Kent State University in Ohio. He explains in a press release that rats use the same memory systems as humans to complete some tests. Data from 16 other linguistic studies were
examined by Ullman, Hamrick, and the rest of the team. People learn a language using two memory systems: declarative and procedural, according to the researchers. Declarative memory is what we refer to as “learning memory” in humans. For example, “Oh, I remember what you said last night,” or similar phrases. And procedural motor memory is what we commonly refer to as “motor memory,” as in learning to ride a bicycle. In addition to language learners, Ullman’s research may benefit people who have suffered a brain injury that affects their ability to speak and write. Learning disabilities, such as dyslexia, may benefit from this experience. Ullman also hoped that the research would lead to advances in our understanding of language.